Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel #Z119

Bottled for The Whisky List for their American Whisky Show virtual tasting event, 2021 Nose: Earthy, stewed apples, cinnamon sugar, cornbread, a hint of wintergreen and musty oak. Palate: Fruity and spicy arrival. Sweet but with a lot of dry baking spice which amplifies in the development. Overbrewed black tea and a little lemon extract. The texture has weight but is drying to the point of astringency and so seems lighter. Finish: Short. There are toasted oak and burnt marshmallow notes but it’s not what I would call a long finish, just a lingering aftertaste of char and citrus. A nice enough bourbon but less interesting than I had expected. What is there is good but on the whole it seemed two-dimensional, even hollow. A dash of water improved it by softening the presentation and allowing both nose and palate to expand, but it never gained substance and certainly did not seem like a 10 year old whiskey. I’d be happy to taste this again and it’s probably a good mixer but I would not buy a bottle, particularly at the outrageous local price. Tasted from a 20ml sampler. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)